Didn't play my ukulele.

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I went to Colorado this last weekend to check out the fall foliage changing colors. Actually I took a week to go to Colorado for the weekend and come home. I drove a total of 2435 miles in six days, we just wandering west from Iowa, wandered around the mountains, and then wandered back. I took my ukulele with me and it never left the car. I find that odd, because I play my ukulele almost every day. I can't remember when I went more than two days without playing it, but I took the whole week and didn't play my ukulele. But then the very next day after I got back home I played it for and hour or so on the front porch, just as I do most every day. This is kind of a big thing, as I am going to Europe for three weeks in June and I've been wondering if I want to drag a ukulele around Europe with me for three weeks. Especially if I don't play it. It is one thing to drive around for a week with it in the back of the car, but three weeks of planes, trains, taxis and boats, that's another thing. Sometimes a get a little afraid that if I don't play it every day that I might start letting it slide until it turns from days to weeks, then months, then years that I don't play it. But evidently I can go a week with no ill effects and then pick up where I left off. So anyway, that's my story. A week of no ukulele and I survived unscathed.
 
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I reckon you'll be so busy on holiday in Europe, you won't have time. If you can't pack it, don't worry about it. Have a 3 week break and you'll probably get back and play better with having a little break and time for some of that muscle memory to embed!

You're hooked now, no sliding back :) no worries there!
 
it's called 'spaced repetition' and it's an educational sine qua non (necessary for
proper learning to take place :) ).

no worries, just keep uke'in'... when you get back! :)
 
I am heading to Europe this weekend for three weeks and debating if I should take an uke with me. there really is no room in my bag and I don’t want it to be a carryon because I already am loaded. I play my ukes every day but this week leading up to my trip, I have hardly played making me wonder if It really is something that I do when I am home, and on my schedule. In August I went to Hawaii and had an ukulele with me and I did not play it as much as I am home. I am supposed to attend a few ukulele meetups in The Netherlands but the folks there tell me they have an ukulele for me to use. I don’t know
 
I am heading to Europe this weekend for three weeks and debating if I should take an uke with me. there really is no room in my bag and I don’t want it to be a carryon because I already am loaded. I play my ukes every day but this week leading up to my trip, I have hardly played making me wonder if It really is something that I do when I am home, and on my schedule. In August I went to Hawaii and had an ukulele with me and I did not play it as much as I am home. I am supposed to attend a few ukulele meetups in The Netherlands but the folks there tell me they have an ukulele for me to use. I don’t know

Your post pretty much is telling you NOT to bring one. You will get an uke fix in The Netherlands. One other option if you miss it is to buy one there. It might not be on the itinerary but would be a fun sidetrip if you need it.
 
I took a trip to Europe last year and did not bring my uke. Did I miss it?! Definitely!

I took another trip to Europe this year. Did I take my uke. Definitely! Did I play it? Yes, everyday.

It was so relaxing to have an hour or so of uke time early in the morning before the day’s cycling and/or sightseeing began. Or, to have an hour in the evening to unwind by playing my wee travel uke.

At this point in my uke relationship I am not likely to travel anywhere without the uke. But that’s just me.
 
When traveling & space is at a premium, I bring something like the "Peanut" solid body type instrument. They don't take up much room, don't weigh much, & are not fragile. If I don't end up playing it, it's not a big deal. But if I get the urge to play, I have something to fiddle with...
 
I went to Norway this past June. No way was I taking an ukulele with me. To much in the itinerary. However we visited with a family my wife new from college and while my wife was playing hardingfele with a local artist, one of the son's had an ukulele on loan from school along with some Norweigan kids songs. I photographed the song pages and tried to play a few of the tunes. Sounds like you have some uke playing connections in Europe, meet with them, play and have some fun, if you find a deal pick up a new uke.........there are lots of things to do while on vacation......

While in Colorado in August I took along my Godin Mulituke because I knew I was going to be plugging it into my brothers peddle board and tube amp and I wanted to see what that would be like. I played a little in the hotel on the way out but not on the way back. Didn't play everyday while out there either. My brother found a few shops for us to visit so I played a few ukulele's in shops. There was a guitar shop in Idaho Springs that had a KLOS tenor, very nice. Plenty of time on vacation for vacation and some playing time was a good thing.

You have to decide what you want out of your travels and your time.
 
I'm in the US at the moment and for another week. I'm spending a lot of my evenings here looking at ukuleles for sale at various online sites and if I wasn't so cautious about taking it back on the plane with me I'm sure I would have bought one by now. It's a struggle to be without!
 
Your planned trip may be a good opportunity to take up the harmonica. Too bad there isn't a harmonica mute.

Always like your posts :) . Yes a Uke isn’t small and making music can be done on other things too. I haven’t played a mouth organ (as we call them here) for many decades and I’m not sure what I produced would be called music but it entertained me.

A while back I had to be away from home for a while and couldn’t take a Uke due to baggage issues. I missed not playing but it’s not the end of the world. Having said that when I came home I bought a cheap and tough Soprano beater specifically to take on future holidays and decided a beater in a bigger wheeled suitcase was the way to go. You can pack cloths around a Soprano, Ukes weight very little and the worse that can happen is the cheap beater gets broken. A cheap beater might not produce a perfect sound, but if that’s a issue and if someone could afford the loss then they might choose to risk a slightly more expensive instrument.

[Edit. If I have time and happen to play the Uke then it’s served its purpose and if I’m occupied with other stuff and don’t touch it then that’s OK too; when using a suitable suitcase case having the choice costs negligible effort and money.]
 
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A mouth organ may not be a harmonica. They may have different note layouts.
When planning a trip you can make a decision to take or not take a ukulele. You can look at what you are going to do and who you are going to be with. Sometimes its good to take a uke, others its not a good idea.
A good principle when planning an expensive trip is think about value for money. Do you want to be spending a lot of money to get somewhere for a short time, only to be spending time doing something that you can do at home? Sometimes its better to leave stuff at home and try something different with some different people. Sometimes, especially on a long solo trip, having something from home relieves a lot of anxiety and you can get better value for your expenditure.
Just make it a box to tick in your planning: Do I take a uke, yes or no.
I think that is a very good point Bill. I'm spending a lot of money to go to Europe, do I really want to sit around playing my ukulele there? As far as Colorado, we were out doing things or driving all day and when we finally did get to the hotel late we were exhausted. Simple as that.
 
Our altitude can do that to ya, if you're not used to it.

Other temporary uke surrogates which travel well are ocarinas, tinwhistles and melodicas. You could also bone up on bones, spoons or a jaw harp. Or, if you get a ground-floor room, learn to step-dance, like John Hartford sometimes did when playing fiddle (it also seems popular in Québec). Imagine the impression you'd make out busking if you were step-dancing while singing and playing uke! Good way to slim down, too, after all those restaurant meals.

I don't think that I want to learn a new instrument. My wife and I do take tap dance lessons. It is supposed to help older folks with their balance and coordination. I think that it does, and we are doing pretty well. At one time I thought about combining tap with singing and playing my ukulele. I have since given up on that idea. For one, Tap dancing requires some amount of arm waving to maintain balance and momentum. It is harder than I first thought that it would be to tap dance without having my arms free. I'm sure it can be done, I've seen videos of it being done, but I decided it was not worth the effort for an old man like me.

There are tap dance studios where you can drop in for a single class and they rent shoes. You don't have to haul around anything of your own. I actually have my eye on one in Paris and another in London if the timing works out. The thing is that they have drop in classes almost every day. I wonder if there are such a thing for ukuleles. I know that our group has extras that people can use, but I've never known anyone passing through take advantage of them. I mean, it would have to be Wednesday nights six to eight. For someone just passing through that is a narrow window of opportunity.

I had hoped to busk the evening we were in Denver after supper, but it didn't work out. That was about it for busking opportunities.
 
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I don't think that I want to learn a new instrument. My wife and I do take tap dance lessons. It is supposed to help older folks with their balance and coordination. I think that it does, and we are doing pretty well. At one time I thought about combining tap with singing and playing my ukulele. I have since given up on that idea. For one, Tap dancing requires some amount of arm waving to maintain balance and momentum. It is harder than I first thought that it would be to tap dance without having my arms free. I'm sure it can be done, I've seen videos of it being done, but I decided it was not worth the effort for an old man like me.

There are tap dance studios where you can drop in for a single class and they rent shoes. You don't have to haul around anything of your own. I actually have my eye on one in Paris and another in London if the timing works out. The thing is that they have drop in classes almost every day. I wonder if there are such a thing for ukuleles. I know that our group has extras that people can use, but I've never known anyone passing through take advantage of them. I mean, it would have to be Wednesday nights six to eight. For someone just passing through that is a narrow window of opportunity.

I had hoped to busk the evening we were in Denver after supper, but it didn't work out. That was about it for busking opportunities.

Your post reminded me of a photo I found online:

Fred Astair & Shoes.jpg

Fred Astaire with his collection of tap shoes. It's all relative.

If you are stressing about taking your uke, then it probably is not a good idea to take it. Relax, have fun and enjoy your trip. Your uke will be waiting for you when you get back.

I just started a Tai Chi class for the same reasons.
 
I thought it was a picture of a man justifying to his wife what he spends on ukuleles, by showing how many pairs of expensive shoes she buys, when she can only wear one pair at a time.

I was very inspired by a minimalist article and went through my shoes and got rid of some which I didn't really need. In a bid to escape from the waste of disposable shoes I started researching only those that could be resoled and were of high quality. eschewing fast fashion. Somehow, I ended up with more shoes/ boots then I originally had. Then again, unlike shoes, ukuleles don't need to match my outfit.
 
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